Nick Smith Jr. showed everything he needed to and more in the Summer League, which has completely changed my outlook on his future.
We all know just how good he is on offense. If defense didn’t exist, Smith Jr. would probably have gone top five in the 2023 NBA Draft. The question for me was ‘can we get his defense to an okay level?’
In the lead-up to the California Classic, the Hornets uploaded a video of Charles Lee running the practice. For a large portion of the video Lee was spending time with Nick Smith Jr., really getting on his back for his defensive output.
Many questioned whether or not it was the right approach for the guard. I believe that this intensive level of coaching is amazing for Smith’s development. However if the question was there for you, you were surely surprised by the complete turnaround of his effort level on defense throughout the Summer League.
Players of Nick Smith Jr.’s archetype rarely succeed in the NBA. If you are an undersized guard who struggles on defense, you have to fit a very small niche to make it in the NBA. You can take one of two routes; Jordan Clarkson or Reed Sheppard.
If you take the Jordan Clarkson route, you need to become one of the best volume scorers in the NBA, and you must learn how to create your own shot at an elite level. This is probably the harder route, as you have to take a heck of a lot of shots, and you have to hit them. You can’t have a down year, and there is little to no room for error.
Not your taste? Then Reed Sheppard is the way to go. Sure, he hasn’t played a minute in the league yet, but he is the perfect example of how to make it as an undersized guard with playmaking deficiencies. Impact the game by generating steals on defense, and by knocking down shots off the ball. You also need to improve your playmaking to at least be serviceable if you have to step into the role of a point guard for a period of time.
As an undersized guard, the least you can ask of Nick Smith Jr. (especially if they aren’t All-Star caliber offensive players) is for him to not be a defensive liability.
And, throughout the Summer League, he certainly wasn’t that. Every night, the coaching staff trusted Smith Jr. with the hardest defensive matchup, and every night, I was amazed at his defensive impact. He generated steals, got into passing lanes, drew charges, closed out very well on shooters, and did an amazing job of impacting the ball handler.
When I think of great perimeter defenders, and what makes them so great, I don’t care much for the stats. Heck, I don’t care much for his actual defensive output. So what do I look for? I ask myself; ‘how well does this guy move his feet?’
It may seem a little odd, but a player's ability to move his feet is purely an effort thing. If you’ve played basketball at any level, you know how hard it can be to stay in front of a really shifty ball handler. Multiply that by one thousand, and that’s how difficult it is to do at the NBA level. If a player is putting that much effort into that facet of defence, it means he cares.
I now know that Nick Smith Jr. cares, and I now believe he is a real piece of this team's future. He may well have just saved his career.
Image: Charlotte Hornets
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